Wed, 30 Jul 2025

Wed, 30 Jul 2025 Pea shortage fears over earliest harvest in years

Farmers say they have seen a drop of up to 30% drop in the number of peas picked this year.

* Farmers are warning that there will be a shortage of British-grown peas in supermarkets due to the earliest harvest in 14 years.
* Vining pea growers across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, and East Yorkshire have experienced a 30% drop in yield this year.
* The dry weather has caused crops to "dry out and die" according to Henry Moreton, regional NFU chair in Lincolnshire.
* Pea grower Ian Watson said their harvest started on June 4, which is two weeks earlier than usual, and predicted that UK-grown peas will be scarce this year.
* The drought has led to a significant drop in pea numbers per pod, with some crops losing over half of their produce.
* Farmers are concerned that the recent rainfall is "too little, too late" and may not be enough to salvage the crop.
* According to Tom Screeton from Birds Eye, the company's usual two-and-a-half-hour window for harvesting and processing peas has been reduced due to the drought.
* Michelle Lawrie, a quality manager at Birds Eye, said that the sweet taste of this year's peas is a result of the extreme weather conditions.
* The industry is looking at ways to mitigate the challenges caused by fluctuating extreme weather, including breeding more robust varieties with drought tolerance.
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